Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-10-27
"That leaves nothing for the widow,

Il SHALL" replied Foljambe; thirty
five hundred dollars"
SIS that your bid, Mr.. Foijambe?" in
quired the sheriff.
sThat is my bid, SIR"
So the farm was knocked down to him.
When we were coming away Foljambe
said to me:
ssCoffey, you go past the Peabody Farm
on your way home. / wish you'd stop
and tell Mrs. Peabody that the place
has broush t over twelve hundred dollars
more than the debt, and she must take
out letters of administration. And tell
her for me not to think of moving. She
can have the house and the garden around
it free of rent. She's thrifty woman
and with that start she'll get along"
I fell that Foljambe's conduct was
through an impulse of generosity which
he could well afford. But the general
verdict was that he was fool. Had he
bid hundred over Phipps, or even two
hundred, it might have passed, but to
throw away-absolutely throw away
twelve hundred dollars! When they
heard afterward that he had given the
widow Interstate in the house and gar
den, it was generally agreed that he
should have guardian over him to save
his property.
Talk died out, however, to be revived
again by another astounding act of folly.
The Ellomah Iron Works about mile
from Brantford, had exhausted the bsd
of ore they had been working for over
forty years, and had to bring the crude
material some distance by rail and water.
1t began to be a question whether it
would not pay to build a new furnace
near the source of supply and abandon
the old one. Suddenly, however, a new
ore bed was opened close at hand. The
forty-two acres of clayey hill on the Pea
body farm was found to cover a heavy
deposit of limopite. As that ore general
ly contains impurities only fitting it for
"cold short" iron,no attention was paid to
it. But when the chemist of the company
made three separate analyses and discov-
cred the usual PHOSPHORUS was replaced
by nearly three per cent. of manganese
oxide, the thing took another shape. The
company offered Foljambe a handsome
royalty, which he at once declined. He
would sell outright or not at all. After
some chaffering and a rough survey of
the bed, they took all the farm but the
widows five acres, and paid $4,000.
"a fool for luck" was the general COM
ment. But the reputation OF Foljambe
for downright folly was at its hight when
it leaked out afterward that he had settl-
ed S35,75 dollars on Mrs. Peabody
that is the interest during life to her,
and the principal to her daughter after
ward. No word sufficed to express the
wonder. contem pit and disgust at this act
of folly.
Old Figgs died about this time, and
Oalchieze offered me a share in the bust
ness if 1 could put in $4,000. I had saved
little over half of that by pinching and
and screw1ng, but I was puzzled about
the rest. Foljambe found it out, and
gave me the money or my note. Some
folks may think this folly on his part,
but l did not. Neither did he, for l have
paid it back long since.
When the Widow Peabody got her
money she ssnt Rebecca off to boarding
school, as she could well afford to, and
there the girl remained for four years,
barring visits home at vacation. When
she CT ne back to stay, she had grown in
to ha 5some, self-possessed young wo-
man, and she was q0ite admired by the
young fellows around. In addition to
good looks and good manners, she would
have nice sum in hard cash in time-a
good thing to add to young mans family
resources. But she was of a domestic
turn, stayed at home with her mother,
and rarely went abroad. No sutton seem
ed to meet favor in her eyes, though she
had several.
During Rebecca's absence at school,
oljambe had been going along quietly.
and people had ceased to talk of him;
but shortly after her return he broke out
again.
One day, an old man in a dusty suit
and boots that had been blackened a week
before, and who carried a small grip
sack, got out at Brantford station and in
quired if the Widow Peabody lived at the
old farm yet. We soon learned that he
was the long lost David Peabody who had
come back after all these years, appar-
entity as poor as a church mouse, and
doubtless with intent to sponge on the
Widow Peabody. He was not so very old
but looked like man whom hard luck
and hot climate had dried up and
wrinkled.
To our surprise he was made welcome
by the widow and Rebecca, and took up
his abode there. He was queer speci
men. After the dust of travel had been
brushed off he was clean enough; but his
clothes were of ordinary material and we'll
worn. 1t was evident that he was poor,
but he didn't seem TO mind it. He walked
about and held himself up as though he
owned One-half the town and meant to
buy the other. He was ready with his
tongue, too, and, if any one said dissa-
greeable thing, could repay it with inter
est. Foil an, be took a great notion to
him, and told me that the old man was
keen and had wonderfully practical bust
ness ideas for one who had not profited
by his precepts, thing I have observed
to be not uncommon. A man can pick
up more valuable hints from the unsuc-
eessful around him than he can from
sharp business men. So the two grew
quite intimate, and almost any fine even
ing might be seen ia confab together on
the widows front porSh, with the widow
and Rebecca near, interested listeners to
their chat.
This was in August, 1860. The whole
country was in state of excitement. 1t
was known that reconciliation between
the warning Democratic factions was i'm
possible and that Lincoln would be elect
ed. The question was, would there be
war! Foljambe suddenly put the plan
tation in charge of old Uncle David. and
Uopt off Coufh He viSifed VIRGINIA